Refrigerating apparatus



Feb.` 1, 1938. G, w. MASON REFR IGEBAT ING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 25, 1937 `x|||n llllllllllllll n lili!!! liflllilltilllll Il! R. Y. w mw o V0 n mm ,A M L, E G m G Y B e 4d, w W @a ZWUWS REFREGEZRATKNG APPARATUS .application February 25, 1937, Serial No. ld

l Claim.,

My invention pertains to refrigerators and more particularly to midtiple-temperature household refrigerators.

It is an object of my invention to provide a refrigerator comprising an auxiliary food storage compartment enclosed by the heat insulating cabinet adjacent the main storage compartment and the machine compartment to efiiciently utillze the cabinet space for storing food articles and having a dividing partition between the compartments whereby different temperatures may be had.

it is also an object of my invention to provide a refrigerator comprising a heat insulating cabi net enclosing a main storage compartment adjacent the machine compartment, and an adjustable dividing partition between the compartments whereby the thermal coupling between the main compartment and the auxiliary compartment may be adjusted to provide the desired degree of refrigeration in the latter.

It is a further object of my invention to prou vide a. refrigerator of the above type wherein the auxiliary storage compartment is thermally insulated from and is cooled independently of the main food storage compartment.

The novel features that consider characteristie of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following descriptions of speciiic embodiments, when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a multiple temperature household refrigerator arranged in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken vertically through the refrigerator from the front to the back thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified embodiment of my invention.

Referring more specifically to Figs. l, 2 and 3 of the drawing, my multiple temperature household refrigerator comprises a cabinet i, which encloses a food storage compartment i arid a machine compartment 5 in the bottom thereof. The cabinet l comprises a heat insulating upper wall i, baci; wall 9 and side walls il which enclose the food storage compartment 3. The cabinet also comprises a heat insulating bottom (Cl. 62--1l6) wall i3 which joins the lower edge of a vertically disposed heat insulating wall portion it which, rising vertically, forms a stepped portion joining the front edge of an elevated bottom wall l'l which extends rearwardly and joins at its rear edge with the lower edge of the back wall il. The stepped heat insulating walls i3, l5 and il' serve to thermally insulate the food storage compartment from the machine compartment 5 and also serve to provide the food storage compartment with an offset portion i9 whereby a portion of the space under the refrigerator cabinet is efficiently utilized for storing small food articles adjacent to and thermally insulated from the machine compartment 5. By this arrangement a portion of the space in `the bottom of the refrigerator cabinet which is usually wasted by assignment to the machine compartment is eihciently utilized, and in the machine compartment 5 is provided sufficient space for Storing the usual refrigerant compressor 2l, condenser 23, refrigerant accumulator 25 and accessories.

From the suction side or" the compressor 2l in the machine compartment, a conduit 2l extends d rearwardly from the machine compartment 5 and passes upwardly adjacent the back wall e of the refrigerator through which it enters for connection with a refrigerant evaporator cooling l of the food storage compartment in any suitable manner, as by fastening means 3i. The cooling element 29 may be any conventional evaporator construction of suitable size for cooling the food storage` compartment and comprising slidably inserted trays 33 for storing and freezing food and ice cubes in the usual manner.

From the accumulator 25, a conduit 35 passes rearwardly out of the machine compartment and extends upwardly adjacent the rear wall d of ed in vertically spaced relation on suitable shelf i supports 3s for storing the food articles to be preserved in therefrigerator. The offset food storage compartment i@ is provided with small shelves il suitably spaced for receiving and storing smaller fom articles therein.

unit 29 which, is suspended from the upper wall Cil ` alignment with the upper. surface of the bottom wall portion I1 of the` main food storage compartment. The partition means 43 thus separates the offset portion I9 as an auxiliary food storage compartment 'from` the main storage compartment. .y

To provide for cooling the auxiliary food storage compartment I9 to the desired temperatures, the partition means 4ly preferably comprises an adjustable damper for controlling the flow of air therebetween. For this purpose, the partition means 43 comprises a substantially fiat plate having apertures 45 extending therethrough in spaced relation and the damper plate is provided with flange portions 41 which are spaced below the lower surfaces thereof and turned toward each other to provide inturned grooves wherein a damper 49 is slidably disposed. The slidable damper 49 is also provided with spaced apertures 5I which are suitably spaced therein for alignment with the` spaced apertures 45 whereby free flow of air therethrough may be provided in any desired degree in accordance with the relative position of the damper of the slidable damper 49 thereunder. To provide for conveniently adjusting the slidable damper 49, a pin 53 projects upwardly from an intermediate portion thereof through an elongated slot 55 in the damper plate 49. The front of the refrigerator cabinet comprises an open doorway which is closed by a door 51 of the usual heat insulating construction which is hinged along one vertical edge thereof to one side of the cabinet in the usual manner. By grasping the upper portion of the pin 53, the operator may conveniently slide the apertured damper 49 to regulate the sizeof the circulatinglair conducting passages refrigeration in the auxiliary compartment I9.

When the door 51.is turned to closed position, as shown in Fig. 2, the inner surface of the door is disposed in adjacent relation to the front edge of the adjustable partition means 43 therein. The adjustable partition means 43 for controlling the thermal coupling between the compartments may be of sheet metal whereby heat is continuously absorbed from the auxiliary compartment I9 by thermal conduction therethrough, or it may be of non-metallic sheet material having a low coeflicient of heat conductivity whereby the closure of the air conducting passages therein more effectively restricts the thermal coupling between the compartments.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 4 of the drawing, my multiple temperature refrigerator may be constructed by providing the main storage compartment 3 with a bottom Wall 59 of heat insulating construction which extends from the lower edge oi' the rear wall 9 through to the front of the refrigerator adjacent to the inner surface of the door 51 whereby an auxiliary storage compartment 6I is provided which is thermally insulated from the main compartment, In accordance with this embodiment of my invention, the auxiliary storage compartment 6I is cooled independentlyof the main food storage compartment'3 and for this purpose I provide freezing shelf plates 63 therein.

Each of the cold shelf plates 63 comprises a plate of sumcient thickness to provide high specic heat capacity for holdoverand is provided with conduit means 65 intimately associated therewith for absorbing heat by evaporating the volatile refrigerant. 'Ihe freezing plates 63 are interconnected in series relation by a conduit 61 for passing refrigerant therethrough in series relation. For supplying refrigerant thereto, a conduit 69 connects from the refrigerant accumulator 25 to one of the refrigerant freezing plates 63, and for abstracting the refrigerant vapor, a conduit 1I is connected from the otherv one of the series connected freezing plates to the suction side of the compressor ZI. As will be understood, the desired temperature conditions may be provided in the auxiliary compartment 6I by providing the freezing plate shelves 63 with refrigerant evaporating portions 65 of suitable capacity, or by regulating the rate of refrigerant vaporization therein in any suitable manner.

It will be seen that I have provided a simple multiple temperature household refrigerator wherein the space enclosed by Vthe cabinet is efnciently utilized for providing food storage compartments wherein varying degrees of refrigeration may be maintained for conveniently storing various quantities of different food articles while mounting the condenser apparatus and ac cessories in efficient close connected relation ther mally insulated therefrom.

Aside from the specific embodiments of the invention herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous detailsof the construction may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed, and that I do not desire to limit the invention to the exact constructions herein set forth.

I claim:

In combination in a refrigerator, a cabinet comprising heat insulating walls enclosing a food storage compartment including an oiset portion, a cooling element for cooling said food storage compartment, adjustable partition means for separating said offset portion as an auxiliary storage compartment whereby the thermal coupling between-thecompartments may be varied to provide the desired degree of refrigeration in the auxiliary compartment, a machine compartment enclosed by said cabinet adjacent to and thermally insulated from said offset auxiliary storage compartment.

t GEORGE W. MASON. 

